Messages are called for in many situations where speech cannot be used or can be used only with difficulty. A few examples are as follows: areas where noise levels are very high; areas where silence is preferred or in zero noise areas, such as in the military, during test taking or during church services; construction areas such as high buildings or in sewers where the voice cannot be heard clearly; boat to boat communications; and between swimmers or between a swimmer and a boat in underwater activity.
Computers have not been associated with portable, or hand-held, sign technology partly because monitor viewing screens are dominated by the fluorescent screen associated with the cathode ray tube (CRT) technology, which has until recently been bulky. Miniaturized microprocessor technology has recently allowed reduction of CRT monitors with displays that are as crisp and readable as laser printing on paper.
Computer display technology is presently used with displays that are based upon the well-known liquid crystal display (LCD), such as are used for messages displayed on the screens of bank cash vending machines. LCDs could be used in operative association with miniaturized microprocessor technology.
The same miniaturized technology has reduced motherboard processors so that an entire package including display and microprocessor is reduced to fit into a shirt pocket, that is to say, to the rectangular dimensions of a credit card. Such advances in miniaturized microprocessor technology can be applied as well to keyboard processors.
My application Ser. No. 09/027,632 provided a portable programmable sign comprising a unitary T-shaped housing having opposed front and rear sides and including an upper sign portion and a lower sign portion mounted midway transverse to the sign portion. A keyboard system with a miniaturized processor including keys marked with indicia for letters of the alphabet and other selected indicia are mounted on the hand-grip portion. Control keys are also mounted on the keyboard. The sign includes a miniaturized computer microprocessor for processing input data received from the keyboard. A miniaturized light-emitting message display system presents the input data to a distant observer by way of a light-emitting display, preferably an LED display mounted on the front side of the sign portion. An electrical circuit in the housing joins the keyboard system, the miniaturized computer microprocessor, and the LED message display, which can be internally or externally powered. In another embodiment of the invention set forth in application Ser. No. 09/027,632 provided a miniaturized monitor display system mounted on the rear side of the sign portion receives input data from the computer microprocessor prior to transmission of the input data so that a user can edit or verify the accuracy of the input data prior to transmission of the data to the LED message display.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a hand-held programmable sign comprising a hand-grip portion and a sign portion having opposed front and rear sides and including an upper sign portion and a lower hand-held portion rotatably mounted to the sign portion midway transverse to the sign portion in the in-use mode. The hand-grip portion can be rotated between the in-use mode and a locked storage mode when the hand-grip portion is rotated into overlapping relationship with the sign portion. A keyboard system with a miniaturized keyboard processor including keys marked with indicia for letters of the alphabet, numerals, and other selected indicia is mounted on the hand grip portion for operator input. The sign includes a miniaturized computer microprocessor for processing input data received from the keyboard. A miniaturized light-emitting message display, preferably an LED display, is mounted on the front side of the sign portion for reading by an observer. An electrical circuit in both the sign housing and the hand-grip housing joins the keyboard system, computer microprocessor, the light-emitting message display and an optional miniaturized monitor display system mounted on the rear side of the sign portion are joined by an electrical circuit in the housing and which can be internally or externally powered. A rotatable locking mechanism about which the sign portion and the hand-held portion includes inner and outer cylinders that can be locked together by a locking pin controlled by the operator.
The hand-held programmable sign described in my application Ser. No. 09/027,632 has a T-shaped configuration. Such a configuration is efficient during operation, but when the sign is not in use, it is awkward to store it, for example, in a holding case or even placing in a drawer.